Chapter 103

Chapter 103

Prince Jing suppressed a smile, sat on the chair at the desk, and pulled Xie Run into his arms.

"Do I need to give you a few words of praise too?"

Xie Run naturally hooked her arms around his neck, with a touch of playful pride. "Forget the praise. Why not reward me with a painting instead?"

She added, a little stubbornly, "I don't want anyone else's—I want yours, Prince!"

"You've asked twice now. If I refuse, wouldn't that be a slap in the face to Shufei Xie?" Prince Jing teased her.

Xie Run shook her head, with all the coquettish charm of a young girl. "Disrespecting Shufei Xie is a small matter. But disrespecting the little grandson—that's a no-go!"

Prince Jing burst out laughing and reached over to pinch her nose.

"For the little grandson's sake, I'll grant you one!"

Xie Run pushed his hand away, rubbed her nose, and shot him a dirty look. "You've got quite a grip, Prince!"

She was afraid he'd pinch her nose right off.

Prince Jing laughed even harder. "My grip isn't the only thing strong—I've got plenty more strength elsewhere, and you know that well enough."

Xie Run blushed, unable to keep up her bold act.

She moved aside to grind ink, while Prince Jing picked up a brush he'd set aside earlier and started painting.

Midway through, he glanced over at Xie Run, who was diligently grinding ink beside him.

Her skin was fair and delicate, whiter than the tribute porcelain itself.

With dark brows and ink-black eyes, she exuded refined beauty, yet her temperament was remarkably gentle.

A subtle allure wove through her elegant grace, quietly captivating hearts.

The incense burner nearby released a faint fragrance. Snow had begun to fall outside the window, landing on the red plum branches—half-hidden, half-revealed, shy and demure.

Warmth and serenity lingered in her heart, mingling with the faint scent of ink and books.

It was exactly as Xie Run had described it.

The tension that had gripped Prince Jing for over a dozen days finally eased, and his mood turned unprecedentedly warm and peaceful.

Prince Jing was a sharp man.

He naturally figured that everything Xie Run had done today was to give him a place to unwind.

Her little schemes were only meant to please him, and she laid them bare right in front of him.

Who wouldn't like that?

Prince Jing certainly didn't—he found it deeply soothing.

That night, Prince Jing stayed at Chunshan Courtyard.

Of course, nothing much happened there.

In Xiuyue Pavilion, Wan Linlang quietly watched the snow outside the window, a strange emptiness settling in her chest.

Staring at the red-hot charcoal in the brazier, she still felt cold and instinctively drew the blanket tighter.

Wan Linlang originally had two senior maids, Suijin and Suiyin, by her side.

Suijin had been transferred away by the Princess Consort on the excuse of illness, deemed unfit to serve in Xiuyue Pavilion.

Suiyin, whom she had abandoned, poisoned herself and died on the day her guilt was confirmed.

For the two newly promoted maids, Wan Linlang gave them the names Sui Yu and Sui Ci.

After half a month of getting used to her, both knew their new mistress was somewhat gloomy and hard to please, so they were extra cautious in their words and actions.

Sui Yu came back from gathering information and reported quietly, "The Prince is staying the night at Chunshan Courtyard."

Shiqie Wan sneered, "Carrying a belly and still going to court favor—how shameless!"

Sui Yu and Sui Ci didn't dare respond, just lowering their heads.

"Of all the women, why does the Prince have to favor her?" Shiqie Wan was puzzled. "That Xie woman is just like Shiqie An—what's so special about her?!"

In her past life, none of the women the Prince favored were Xie's type!

Whether it was her, Fang Yuaner, or later Shiqie Han and Shiqie Li.

"Could it be that Xie really has some hidden seductive arts?!"

Wan Linlang racked her brains but couldn't figure it out, and finally gave up.

Suddenly, she let out a cold laugh. "Shiqie An still can't compare to Xie."

"Back at Qiufeng Courtyard, Xie stayed composed from start to finish, while Shiqie An was already cowering before she was even involved."

"She can't compare in favor or temperament—I was blind not to see that Xie was also hiding her true nature."

Even at Zhishui Fang, Xie had been scarily vigilant.

That left Wan Linlang no chance to sprinkle poison powder on Xie Run, so her plan to frame her had to be abandoned.

Wan Linlang felt some regret. But later, when Shiqie Han's false pregnancy was exposed, she responded swiftly and shifted the blame for poisoning Shiqie Ning onto Shiqie Han, finally clearing herself of one suspicion.

Both Shiqie Han and Wan Linlang had planned to use the other as a scapegoat, but in the end, Wan Linlang came out on top.

The only pity was losing Suiyin—she was now completely without trusted aides and had to groom new ones.

Sui Yu brought over the simmered medicinal soup. "Mistress, you're still in your month of recovery. Don't overthink—take care of your head."

Wan Linlang nodded slightly. "I know. Set the medicine down."

"Yes." Sui Yu set down the medicine, glanced at Sui Ci beside her, and quietly backed out.

When only Sui Ci and Wan Linlang were left in the room, Wan Linlang said lazily, "Pour the medicine out."

Sui Ci silently took the bowl and emptied it into a nearby flowerpot.

In a moment, the bowl was empty.

Sui Ci then produced a fresh bowl of medicine from somewhere. "Mistress."

Wan Linlang then sat up, held the bowl of medicine and sniffed it, even testing it with a silver needle. Only after confirming it was safe did she drink it in one gulp.

Sui Ci stood by, attending to her, as if on the verge of speaking.

Wan Linlang set down the bowl and wiped her mouth with a handkerchief. "If you have something to say, say it. Don't beat around the bush with me."

Sui Ci said softly, "Are you really alright, mistress? Every medicine has its side effects—I'm afraid drinking too much might not be good for you."

"I'm fine," Wan Linlang said calmly. "The false pregnancy medicine I took before was too cooling in nature. This one now is precisely to ward off cold and build up strength."

"Once my post-miscarriage recovery period is complete, I naturally won't need to drink it anymore."

Wan Linlang had never actually been pregnant.

She had Han Shiqie's fake pregnancy to thank for the idea.

When Han Shiqie faked her pregnancy, as long as she played the part well, Prince Jing didn't suspect a thing.

She could do the same.

And she could pull it off even more covertly than Han Shiqie!

Han Shiqie's fake pregnancy had everyone watching, but she was ignored by all.

No one would care about a low-born, out-of-favor concubine getting pregnant—just as it had been with Shiqie An.

No, her position was even worse than Shiqie An's.

And so, with everyone ignoring her, Wan Linlang faked a pregnancy, then silently miscarried, neatly framing Han Shiqie for it.

After the miscarriage, no one knew about it except Suiyin.

So Suiyin had to die!

Whether it was Suiyin's role in poisoning Shiqie Ning or the fact that she knew about Wan Linlang's fake pregnancy, Wan Linlang would never let Suiyin live.

The only thing that annoyed her was that Suijin had been reassigned.

That girl got along well with Suiyin, and though she was always frail and sickly, she was pretty sharp—who knows if she'd overheard anything?

Wan Linlang had wanted to get rid of Suijin back then.

But afraid of tipping her hand, she secretly gave Suijin a slow poison, letting her die quietly of illness.

Now, by sharing this with Sui Ci, Wan Linlang was also testing her loyalty.

In the upheaval of Princess Ruyi's birthday, the biggest winner was undoubtedly Wan Linlang.

She'd cleared her name of the suspicion of poisoning Shiqie Ning, put on a clean, innocent front for Prince Jing, and miscarried a child that never was, winning Prince Jing's sympathy.

Her position now was finally much better than when she'd first arrived.

"Too bad all four Shu Fei spots are taken now, so I can't act again for a while."

The heat had just died down—anyone who stuck their neck out now would be a target for everyone.

Prince Jing would never let it slide either.

Wan Linlang suddenly let out a light laugh. "This household is full of talent. Even if I don't make a move, someone else will inevitably lose their composure."

"Now there are three women in the household close to giving birth. We'll see who delivers a boy first and seizes the advantage."

For that slight advantage, the three pregnant women would surely fight each other to the death.

Wan Linlang didn't know about the others, but she knew that Fang Yuaner's ambition would never disappoint.

Wan Linlang still had a score to settle with Fang Yuaner.

"When my pregnancy was announced back then, few people paid attention. But that bitch Fang, even under house arrest, couldn't stay still—she openly claimed I was faking it, giving me sleepless nights for days!"

"Sooner or later, I'll repay every one of those humiliations!"

On the fifteenth day of the second month, with heavy snow still falling, Shiqie Li's promotion document suddenly arrived.

In the blink of an eye, Shiqie Li became Shufei Li.

Only after careful thought did everyone understand—Shufei Li had aligned herself with the Princess Consort!

The promotion had been carried out so quietly that someone must have helped cover it up.

That someone certainly wasn't Prince Jing—it could only be the Princess Consort.

Looking back at the events since Shiqie Li's pregnancy, piecing together the clues, they indeed discovered many traces of the Princess Consort's handiwork.

Everyone couldn't help but feel uneasy.

Could it be... that the Princess Consort had taken a liking to the child in Shufei Li's belly and wanted to take it to raise herself?